Hydraulic clutch.



No. 898,455. PATENTED JULY 14, 1908. A. G. F. DANN.

HYDRAULIC OLUTGH.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.3, 1907.

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WIYNESSES INVENTOR J2. cw. S (Own/v1.

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N0. 833,455. PATENTED JULY 14, 1908. A. C. P. DANN.

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1907.

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" UNITED swarms PATENT osmos- AUGUSTUS OARDIGAN FREDERICK DANN, OF SOUTHSEA, ENGLAND.

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14, 1908.

Application filed August 3,1907. Serial No. 387,000.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS OARDIGAN FREDERICK DANN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at-5 l St. Augustine road, Southsea, in the county of Hants, England, engineer, have invented a certain new and useful Hydraulic Clutch, of which the following is a specification.

According to the present invention two shaftsor the like are clutched to rotate 00 axially at the sameor' at different speeds by varying the friction between one of the shafts or members andf'a mass or masses of fluid carried round by' the rotation of the other member. The friction between the moving fluid and the member to be driven is arranged to be normally insufficient to over:

come the resistance of the latter on no load, and the varied speed of the driven member is obtained by diminishing by suitable means the section of the path available for the movement of the fluid in the space between I. the driving and driven members. .A continuous variation of this section produces a continuous variation of the slip or friction between the fluid; and the driven member andiconsequently a" continuous variation of i the speed of the latter until, when the path'is. completely blocked, the two members are clutched absolutely and rotate atthe same speed. I

The invention is'illustrated in the accom- Iv "panying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus with acheek plate removed and partly broken into section; Fig. 2 is a central ongi tudinal section; Figs. 3, 4, 5, and fiviews of 1 various details hereinafter referred to.

- As shown in these drawings, which are given by way of example only as showing the preferred embodiment of this invention,

' the fluid which correlates the two members and which is preferably an incompressible fluid, as for example a suitable lubricatin oil, is inclosed in an annular space A forme between a shell B which constitutes or is secured to one of the members and a disk C which is mounted within and concentric with the shell B and rotates with the other member.

Pivoted within cavities in the internal periphery of the shell are pawls D which under the action of the oil, assisted or not by spring urged pistons d, are thrown into operative Position W l .l l 2 @9 ,th r fr m surfaces cl blocking the annular passage A containing the fluid which is thus carried round with the shell. Mounted to slide in radial slots 0 in the'concentric disk C are blocks E which can be projected more or less towards the inner face of the rotating shell B thereby constricting the annulus at various points and consequently increasing the resistance to the passage of the fluid and the friction between the fluid and the disk. Radial holes or grooves e are formed in the blocks to allow the displaced fluid to pass through to theinner side of the blocks when they are projected'into the annulus A and a similar provision by means of holes (1 with low the passage of the fluid from the front face 0 of the pawls to the rear face of the tail (1 of the pawls'to assist the projection of the latter into the operative position and also to allow the fluid to pass from side toside when the pawls are rocked abouttheir pivots as they pass over the projected blocks E. The radial blocks E are displaced in their guide slotsc by means of racks F which are slidable axially withrespect to the disk andshell and which engage piiu'ons f) formed on sleeves radially in the disk 0. lnter'nal screw threads of considerable pitch in the pinion g5 sleeves engage the correspondingly screwed inner ends of radial ms '6 the outer ends of which carrythe ra ial blocks E, the whole arrangement being such that when the racks are displaced axially the radial pins carrying '90 the blocks are projected outwardly or retracted as the case may be. i

The oil annulus A is isolated from the ac-.

tuating caring by means of annular cup leathers g or suitable equivalent packing fit-' ted in grooves g in the disk member C and forced under pressure of the .oil a ainst the cheek plates or sidesrH of the shell,- and by suitable acking g which closes the radial holes in tli pins are mounted. Provision is also made for compensating for the increased volume of solid material projected into the oil space when the radial blocks E are moved out wardly, by providing collapsible chambers I 105 adapted to yield under pressure so as to reduce the inclosed-space and thereby provide additional oil space in rear of the radial blocks E. These collapsible chambers I are preferably constituted by a metal disk i 110 f which are joul'na' .v V

e disks in which the radial arms or .face of the disk and a metal ring 4, by means about an axis of set screws i a washer "i of leather or other suitable soft material being interposed between the diaphragm i and the ring 11 to reduce any possible tendency of the diaphragm to fracture by repeated bending on.

the edge of the rin To enable the 011 to pass to both sides of the disk C'when the apparatus is being fi1led,-srnall holes or grooves i are provided extending transversely. across the disk C.

In the preferred construction shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the radial blocks are formed in two parts, the movement of the inner part E being truly radial while that of the outer part E which is fulcrumed in the disk 0 and connected with the inner part by a link such as e", is a rocking movement arallel to that of the two members B, O, t iis construction securing an increased travel of the outer part E as compared with -the inner part It. The outer surface of the rocking block is suitably shaped to guide the pawls gently from their normal position, and in order to reduce friction on the pawls during this part of their movement the surface of the rocking blocks 1*) are referahly grooved or hollowed diagonally or part of their length as shown ate from the point at which they en age the pawls so as to take the load off t e pawls when traversing this ortion by allowing the oil to slip underneath the nose of the pawl,

the drive being taken by the pawl or pawls which are not then assing over the blocks E. It will be seen tffat the nose of the pawl on leaving the surface of the rocking block gradually falls-inwardly 'into the operative position as its rearward part moves over the block. Further, in order that there may not be any actual solid friction between the pawls and the surface of the disk member, the recesses b in which the tails d of the pawls are accommodated are adapted also to act as stops to hold the nose of the pawl just out of actual metallic contact with the disk.

When the radial blocks E are thrust outv outside.

. the shaft J.

The boss h is also formed with a stufiing box and gland h within which .the sleeve J slides, The sleeve J is keyed on the shaft J by long feathers 7' the shaft, sleeve, disk C and thegear actuating. the radial blocks E all rotating together. The end of the shaft J is journaled in the closed outer boss 7& of the shell B and this end of theshaft is preferably provided with a central bore hole 9' extending inwardly from its end and transverse holes 7' radiating therefrom and prefer ably spirally disposed around the shaft for the purpose of allowing the escape of air from the interiorof the boss h when the racks F are thrust forward into the said boss,

connecting the interior of the boss with the The sleeve J is actuated in the usual manner by means of a lever j, and the axial movement of the sleeve in either direction is limited by means of a pin j screwed in the sleeve and projecting into a slot 7" in when such are provided, are preferably arranged to come into driving engagement just The clutchmembers 9", ji

before the blocks E are projected quite into contact with the shell B. It willl be apparcut that when such a clutch is prcvidedthe shell Bmay be driven from the shaft J as well as conversely, although only in the latter case will there be variability of speed of the driven member. I

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means I know. of car rying the same into practical effect, I claim: 1. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to in which the driving and driven. members inclose a fluid filled annulus, a block mounted on one of the members and adapted to slide thereon and to be projected to a varying extent into said annulus, ayielding' step into said annulus and into the path of the block and means for operating said block from outside the apparatus; substantially as described.

. 2. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to a driving and a driven member inclosing a fluid filled annulus, and a block mounted on one of the members and adapted to be projected to a varying extent-into said annulus, said block being formed in two block mounted on one of the members and adapted to slide thereon and to be projected 'to a varying extent into said annulus, means for operating said block from outside the a paratus and a pawl pivotally mounted on t e other member and adapted to ride on the on the-second member projecting surface of the former member so as to block said annulus; substantially, as described.

4. In an apparatus of thecharacter herein referred to, a pawl pivotally mounted on one member and adapted to ride on the surface of another member so as to block the space between the said members, and a sto on said pawl adapted to hold the nose 0 the pawl just out of metallic contact with the driven member; substantially as described.

5. In a fluid clutch of the character herein referred'to a pawl pivotally mounted on one member and adapted to ride on the surface of another member so as to block the space between the said members, and a groove in said pawl adapted to allow the assage of fluid from side to side of said paw substantially as described.

6. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to comprisin a driving and a driven member inclosing a uid filled annulus, and

a block mounted on one of the members and adapted to be projected into said annulus, a radial groove in said block adapted to allow the fluid to pass through the interior of the block when projected into the annulus and means for operating said block from outside the a paratus; substantially as described.

7. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to comprisin a driving and a driven member inclosing a uid filled annulus, and a block mounted on one of the members and adapted to be projected into said annulus, a

radial groove in said block adapted to allow the fluid to pass through the interior of the block when projected into the annulus, a pawl pivotally mounted on one member so as to block the annulus and a diagonal groove on the surface of said block to facilitate the assage of the awl when traversing said sur- Face; substantially as described. 8. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to in which the driving and driven members inclose a fluid filled annulus, a plurality of blocksmounted on one of the members and adapted to slide thereon and to be rojected to a varying extent into said annuus, a plurality of yielding stops on the second member pro ecting into said annulus and into the path of the blocks and means for operating said blocks from outside the apparatus; substantially as described.

9. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to in which the driving and driven members inclose a fluid filled annulus, a plurality of blocks mounted on one of the members and adapted to slide thereon and to be rejected to a varying extent into said annu- Fus, means for operating said blocks from outside the apparatus and a plurality of pawls ivotally mounted on the other memer an ada ted to ride on the surface of the former mem er so as to block said annulus; substantially as described.

10. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to, a drivin and a driven member inclosing a fluid fi led annulus, a block mounted on one of the members and adapted to be projected to a varying extent into said annulus and means for automatically providing space for the fluid displaced by the projection ofv the'block.

11. In an apparatus of the character herein referred to comprising a driving and a driven member inclosing a fluid-filled annulus anda block mounted on one of the members and adapted to be projected into said annulus, a collapsible chamber consisting of a metal disk, a flexible composite diaphragm clamped to the faces of said disk and adapted to yield to anincrease of pressure caused by the variation in fluid space due to the displacement of said block; substantially as described.

12. In an apparatus of the character herein 1 AUGUSTUS CARDIGAN FREDERICK DANN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM RoAoH, E. A. RooERs. 

